Right to Education Act: The Case of Assam

The right to education was officially incorporated in the Constitution of India in 2002, under the 86^th amendment. Today, the country's expectations are pinned high on this Right to Education Act but are we truly ready to implement it?

Right to Education Act

In 2009, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act was passed by the Parliament to support and strengthen the cause. Finally, on April 1, 2010, the government implemented a landmark law to mandate free education to all children between 6 and 14 years. The new law obligates state governments as well as local bodies to ensure that each child has access to school education within proximity.

Implementation of the Right to Education Act in Assam

The Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi officially announced the State’s commitment to implementing the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act. The primary school dropout rate in the State is a staggering 26.5%, which accounts for approximately nearly 60,000 children. The Government has placed the blame of this bleak scenario on the lack of schools and proper education facilities, including qualified teachers.

The CM reinforced that proper access to education facilities in the neighborhood will motivate parents to push their children to attain formal education.  A budget allocation of Rs.40 billion has been determined by the Assamese Government to setup and promote primary and middle schools.

Some salient features of the government’s plan for implementing the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act are:

• Appointment of about 26,000 in around 20,000 schools within the next five years.
• Ensure an ambitious student-teacher ratio of 30:1 in all schools.
• Establishment of one primary school within a radius of one km, and one upper primary school within a radius of three kms.